During the weekend, two government soldiers and six suspected Islamic extremists were killed in clashes in the northwest part of Algeria, and a member of a civilian self-defense unit was slain in another incident, newspapers and officials reported Monday.

The two soldiers were killed when their army patrol was ambushed by armed militants at Ain Tarek, in the Relizane region, 300 kilometers west of the capital, on Sunday, the daily newspapers L'Authentique and La Tribune reported.

They claimed the soldiers retaliated, killing four of their assailants.

In a separate incident, a member of an armed civilian self-defense group was killed Saturday in the Ain Defla region, 160 kilometers west of the capital, according to the newspapers.

Meanwhile, officials said two armed Islamic extremists were killed Sunday by security forces at Amellal, 340 kilometers west of Algiers.

Since the beginning of the month, 11 people have been killed in Algeria. An estimated 230 people, most of them civilians, have died in the violence since the beginning of the year. (Albawaba.com)